Decisions
by smilelaughread
Summary: Harry and Ginny make a series of (bad) decisions that leads them to a romantic date at an old amusement park. But, of course, it wouldn't be Harry Potter without a little bit of danger. Throw in a thunderstorm, brooms, and Harry's stubbornness, and there you go!


_Merry-Go-Round – Harry/Ginny - W__ritten as an entry for the category "Pairings" for Lady's Writing School at HPFC._

The air was not forgiving, with sharp gusts of wind hitting the two fliers often and with force.

They braved on, however, paying no attention to the biting cold or the way dark clouds were assembling on the horizon. They were secure under their warming spells, hiding beneath muggle-repellant charms, and had a collective twenty or so years of flying experience between them. Suffice to say, they were feeling fairly confident in the air, though maybe that confidence was a little misplaced.

Despite the confusion of being suspended in the air, flying at considerable speeds, they'd been immersed in a conversation up until moments ago, when Harry's leg had begun cramping up, and he'd had to shake it out to relax the muscles.

"How are you feeling, Harry?" Ginny shouted, screaming at the top of her lungs and still only just managing to get her voice to Harry's ears.

Harry leaned low, hugging his broomstick close, and returned to proper flying position. He flew over Ginny, appearing at her other side with a smile - more of a grimace - on his face. "Not too well," he admitted. "It's hurting quite a bit. Don't worry about me, though."

Ginny smiled softly, though the raging wind – increasing, now, in speed – was whipping her hair around and there was no way Harry could see her, anyway, the way he was wincing. She looked over at him, and was surprised to see pain etched into his features.

Some fear crept into Ginny, and she slowed her flying, coming to a slow hover. She waved her arms at Harry until he noticed that she'd stopped and waited as he came swooping back.

"Do you need to stop?" Ginny questioned him, though she didn't need to ask – she could read the pain on his face clear as day, even in the semi-darkness. It was that obvious, and Harry usually tried to hide any weakness.

She didn't catch the nod he gave, though she knew it had come by the resigned set of his brow. She turned around, away from him, trusting Harry to follow her lead.

The two of them soared to the ground, relying on their training to keep them in position, given that they were flying nearly perpendicular to the ground. If either of them were to slip and let go of their broom, there would be too little time to grab hold of a wand before gravity caught up and they were forced to meet, rather violently, with the ground. It was rather frightening, but in that moment Ginny was more worried about Harry.

Hoping their muggle-repelling charms were still active and potent enough to function, the pair touched down on the ground. They were both panting but grabbed hold of their brooms immediately. It was instinct. Then, Harry began limping to a nearby bench, and Ginny followed a step or two behind him, worrying about his health and safety. Obviously, it was not the time to lecture about how rude it was to leave her alone.

Thunder boomed somewhere in the distance, making Ginny feel shaky. The air was practically crackling with electricity, making her hair feel larger than it was and making each nerve ending to tingle. Each breath Ginny took left her even more breathless, which made no sense, but the wind was speeding up and thunder was sounding out all around them. She began to shiver despite herself.

Ginny took a seat next to Harry, smiling inwardly as he noticed her discomfort and draped an arm around her. The shivering died down immediately, and Ginny felt a little more comfortable. She then turned to look at Harry, mind focused on how he was feeling once again.

"Why did I listen to you?" Harry asked, though she could tell he was teasing. A small smile threatened to lift the corners of his mouth.

"Listen to me about what?" Ginny answered, hiding her smile in his shoulder. She caught his gaze when he looked down at her, and gave him an oblivious, innocent look.

"You convinced me to come out here in this weather," he said. _"Obviously_, I was right and we should have stayed back at the flat to do more interesting things." He grinned.

Ginny straightened up, acting indignant. "Is that all I'm good for?" She asked, faking the injured tone in her voice. She crossed her arms and huffed rather theatrically, resulting in a sniffling sound that indicated to her that she was in need of some warmth and… possibly a tissue. Blushing and deciding the cover of darkness that had fallen was enough to block that fact from Harry's sight, she continued. "Besides, I don't know what you are talking about! This is a beautiful-" Ginny looked around, throwing a glance over her shoulder. "Er, this is a beautiful… abandoned amusement park, isn't it, Harry?" She threw him a look, batting her eyelashes wildly, though he probably couldn't see. "I think it's _very_ romantic,"

He laughed, standing up and extending an arm to her. "Let's go," he announced. She watched him limp around, and all of her teasing was put aside in favour of worry.

"Are you sure you are alright with that leg? I really _shouldn't_ have pushed you to come out, especially in this weather. I know you only just recovered from that injury in Auror trai-"

"I'm fine, Ginny." Harry said. "It doesn't even hurt anymore!"

She nodded. He was obviously feeling more secure on the ground than he had been in the air, and seemed not to be limping so badly anymore. He was back to being the usual, if-I-don't-acknowledge-the-pain-it's-not-there Harry she knew. "Okay," she allowed.

"Good to know, Healer Potter," Harry deadpanned. "Now that I have your permission, let's explore!"

Ginny giggled along with his laughter, accepted his proffered hand, and stood up next to him. Looping one of her arms through his, they began their walk.

They made their way under the archway of the once-magnificent amusement park. The long, cobbled, cracked pathway stretched out in front of them for a good three hundred or so meters with other paths branching of from the main one every so often.

"It's kind of sad," Ginny said, feeling nostalgic all of a sudden. "That a place that must have been loved by so many children and families could become so run-down. It makes you think about how fragile the things you take for granted really are."

Harry sniffled, but Ginny didn't know if it was the cold or emotion.

"Kind of like Hogwarts," Harry whispered. "I didn't know of it for the first eleven years of my life, but it became a home. Now, even with the rebuilding, it seems so empty and broken."

Ginny nodded, throwing her soaked hair over the shoulder opposite Harry so that she could snuggle in closer. He seemed to be lost in thought, and Ginny took the time to look around and admire the handiwork that was obvious, even in the ruins of the old park.

Everything seemed to have intricate carvings, and Ginny suspected that in its day, the park had been beautiful. A thing to behold, for sure.

She shook her head to clear it.

Slowly but surely, the two of them reached the end of the path. At the end, closing off the park, there was a large merry-go-round. The carousel was broken and rotting in some places, but compared to the rest of the park - it was in wonderful condition. Harry eyed it, pulling his wand out slowly.

"_Accio_ brooms," he said firmly, calling their brooms back to them. Then, turning to Ginny, he said, "I want to climb it."

Ginny's eyes widened. "Harry — it's not safe! We'll get hurt..."

Harry had already thrown one leg over the wooden part of his broom. Before she could think to protest again, he'd kicked off.

"Harry!" Ginny called. She worried about him when he was in one of those moods. Not to mention that it was raining, Harry was injured, and the merry-go-round was broken and old. The structural integrity was surely, well, nonexistent.

Feeling desperate, Ginny got on her own broom and flew up quickly.

Just after the first blow of wind threatened to pick her out of the air and drop her, Ginny began to curse her decision to come out in the first place. As she climbed higher, she cursed her long hair, as it was blowing in her face and obstruct her view even more than the sheets of rain falling now. And, finally, when she touched down on the roof, she cursed Harry's lack of a sense of danger.

"Harry!" She called uselessly. Deciding that walking was safer than flying, at least minutely, Ginny walked up to the point of the carousel. Not one to be frightened of heights, normally, even Ginny was feeling the pressure when she looked down.

Finally, she glimpsed Harry. She called out to him again, and then once again. He didn't respond.

Then, in the space of one heart-stopping second, she watched him slip. He grabbed at the wet, slick roof, unable to find purchase.

"No!" Ginny shouted, closing her eyes and grabbing her broom more firmly. Then, she turned on her heel and disappeared with a 'pop'.

She felt Harry's weight crash into her and her broom press more firmly between her legs as it struggled to uphold them. She knew she'd saved him when his shout echoed into her ear. She heard Harry scream again and barely registered the shudder that ran up her leg as they connected with the ground.

"Ouch, bugger — ouch!" Harry said, limping after standing up. Ginny rolled over on her side, arm instinctively going to the pain in her ankle.

"I have one thing to say, Harry," she said through gritted teeth. "Life with you can never be boring."

The crease in Harry's brow lessened at her ribbing, but he still crouched over her. "I'm so sorry," he said. "That wasn't a smart idea on my part."

She shrugged, waving his worries away. "Are you up for flying?" She asked.

He grimaced. "Not likely," he said. "I might fall off. It wasn't a brilliant idea," he admitted. "By either of us. Are we stuck?"

Ginny thought for a second. "It's a bit far to apparate, but-"

"Do you trust me, Ginny?"

She rolled her eyes. "I feel like I should be answering with a firm _'NO',_ but yes, you oaf, I trust you."

"Good," Harry grabbed her arm and a moment — half a heartbeat — later, Mrs Weasley was rudely awoken by her wards, only to find a shivering Harry and Ginny on her doorstep, both looking thoroughly shaken up.

The woman gave a sigh, a roll of her eyes, and muttered, "Again?"

They answered with matching sheepish grins, and waited for her to dig out her _Healing Spells_ book, watching as she ordered a dazed Arthur to make some hot cocoa.

"Love you, mum!" Ginny called cheekily.

"Hmm," Mrs Weasley hummed, choosing not to answer. Then, with a point of her wand and a quiet incantation, both Harry and Ginny were knocked out for ten minutes, while the woman worked her magic.


End file.
